Steph Casey Releases High-Octane Grunge-Pop Single ‘10,000 Hail Marys’
Part grunge, part punk-pop, and packed with energy, 10,000 Hail Marys is Steph letting loose. The song grew out of a major musical shift for the songwriter, who in 2024 hung up the workhorse acoustic guitar she had written with for almost two decades and purchased the G&L Telecaster she had always dreamed of owning.
The change opened up a new way of writing and playing – and 10,000 Hail Marys was one of the first songs to emerge.
“This is me having fun with my Telecaster and drawing from the alt-rock influences of my twenties,” says Casey. “There’s a lot of attitude in it, but there’s also a sense of joy and abandon.”
Lyrically, 10,000 Hail Marys takes aim at the particular kind of heartbreak caused by someone who ends a relationship by simply disappearing. It’s a song about guilt, ghosting and the spectacularly messy business of walking away without explanation – delivered with a raised eyebrow, a raised middle finger and an undeniably catchy chorus.
The track opens deceptively simply: a lone lead guitar riff gives way to an overdriven guitar, drums and Casey’s vocal before the full band crashes in for the second verse and Casey’s vocal splits into two octaves, ramping up the energy.
“You planned a French exit and kept it hidden
I guess all along you knew something I didn’t”
The added female chorus of shouted “10,000 Hail Marys!” and “5,000 Our Fathers!” cements the hook of the song.
The result is an unapologetic, high-octane anthem for anyone who has ever been ghosted, dumped or left staring at an unanswered message.
As on her previous album, The Seats In My Car, Casey is again backed by the members of legendary New Zealand band Let’s Planet: Caroline Easther (The Chills, Let’s Planet, The Warratahs, The Verlaines) on drums, Alan Galloway (Let’s Planet, Galloway) on electric guitar and keyboard, and Murray Costello (The Mockers, Let’s Planet, Simple Animal) on bass. Celebrated singer-songwriters Annette Esquenet and Norwegian-kiwi Hanne Jostensen join Steph on backing vocals.
10,000 Hail Marys was recorded at The Surgery Studios, Wellington, by multi-award-winning engineer Lee Prebble (L.A.B, Phoenix Foundation).
Steph Casey releases her latest single, 10,000 Hail Marys on October 9th via all digital retailers. This is the 2nd Single and title track off her forthcoming EP, due out on November 6th.
